Yes, eating vegetables is healthy. But that it also reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease is an illusion.

The risk of cardiovascular disease is reduced by a healthy lifestyle. Scientists have also stated in previous studies that eating vegetables offers protection. But in a new study researchers have now relegated that theory to the realm of fables: it is not such a ‘miracle cure’.

plausible

At first glance, it seems plausible that vegetables could lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. For example, some vegetables contain healthy carotenoids and vitamins. Scientists have therefore concluded in previous studies that vegetable consumption does indeed reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, researchers are questioning that in a new study. “The protective effect of vegetables on the development of cardiovascular disease is actually very inconsistent,” said researcher Qi Feng in an interview with Scientias.nl†

Study

To get to the bottom of the matter, researchers decided to turn to the UK Biobank; a large-scale prospective study of how genetics and environment contribute to the development of the most common and life-threatening diseases. The researchers looked at collected data from nearly 400,000 participants (4.5 percent of whom suffered from cardiovascular disease). In particular, the researchers studied their answers to the questions about their daily average consumption of uncooked and cooked vegetables. They then analyzed whether there was a link between consuming vegetables and hospital admissions, having a heart attack or stroke.

Heart and vascular disease

The researchers come to a surprising conclusion. Because although it has been stated before that vegetables do indeed lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, the research team found no evidence for this. According to them, it is therefore unlikely that eating a lot of cooked or uncooked vegetables affects the risk of cardiovascular disease.

eat vegetables
The researchers emphasize that it is still very important to consume enough vegetables. Adults are advised to eat at least 250 grams of vegetables per day. According to the guideline, toddlers should consume at least 50 to 100 grams of vegetables per day. For children aged four to nine, a minimum amount of 100 to 150 grams of vegetables per day applies. If you vary between the different vegetable types, you get all the nutrients from vegetables that you need.

The researchers suspect that previous studies that did find an association may not have sufficiently adjusted for confounding socioeconomic and lifestyle factors.

What’s up with that?

“What we found was that people who ate more vegetables, were more educated and more physically active, had a higher socioeconomic status, a lower BMI and smoked less often,” Feng lists. “All these factors protect against cardiovascular disease. In order to delineate the ‘pure’ effect of vegetable intake, these must therefore be disregarded.”

More research

It means that confounding factors may explain the earlier positive findings. And so it doesn’t appear that vegetables have the ability to protect against cardiovascular disease. “More research is needed to better assess the health effects of vegetables,” Feng said.

The findings do not alter the fact that vegetables are still very healthy. “Eating enough vegetables is still a very important part of a healthy diet,” emphasizes Feng. “Vegetables are an important source of dietary fiber, which can help you lose weight and maintain a healthy weight.” Moreover, it has been shown that vegetables do reduce the risk of other serious diseases, including some forms of cancer. And so the researchers recommend getting enough fruits and vegetables every day. “But more importantly, everyone should try to eat a healthy and balanced diet,” concludes Feng.

Did you know…

… last year to get scientists to come up with a surprisingly simple way to get children to eat more vegetables? Many children go through a period when they don’t like vegetables. But researchers know what to do: just serve up more vegetables. Read more here!